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In the competitive world of manufacturing, companies are often searching for new ways to improve their process, customer satisfaction and stay ahead in the game with their competitors. Reverse logistics has been considered a strategy to bring these things to life for the past decade or so. This thesis work tries to shed some light on the basics of reverse logistics and how reverse logistics can be used as a management strategy. This paper points out the fundamentals of reverse logistics and looks into what kind of decisions today’s logistics managers have to take on a daily basis for the improvement of their logistics model. A growing concern has been developing to control rising global pollution, this paper also brings out some of the effects of reverse logistics decisions on the environment and vice versa. The thesis starts out by compiling the works of researchers and logistics experts in the field of logistics in the theoretical background section. Through a survey conducted in a few manufacturing firms in India, a small picture of the extent to which reverse logistics has penetrated the manufacturing world has been drawn.

Globalization, economic volatility and uncertainty have impacted global business markets. This has also had an effect on the logistics and supply chain sector. The third party logistics (3PL) industry is constantly changing due to global industry consolidation, technology integration, industry specialization, and industry alliance networks. The most significant changes have been in areas such as 3PL industry size and make-up, services offered, geographical reach, and the information technology (IT) support provided. Companies can survive in a highly competitive environment by creating competitive advantage. Literature presents three different strategies for creating competitive advantage. These are cost leadership, differentiation and focus. Furthermore, innovations and collaboration between companies can also be strategies for creating competitive advantage. The purpose of this paper is to analyse from the retailers’ perspective, how 3PL providers could meet the customers’ needs better and create competitive advantage in the 3PL market. Furthermore, the purpose of the research is to find out which are, according to the customers’ needs, the best directions that 3PL providers should follow. This research contains both inductive and deductive research approach elements. The empirical data is collected through a survey and interviews. In total 45 retailers took part in the survey. Moreover, five of the survey respondents were selected for additional interviews. The collected data have been analysed by using theories and previous studies in the literature. The main findings from analysing the empirical data and the existing theory are that in order for 3PL providers to create competitive advantage, they should focus on the three elements: selection criteria, incentives and barriers. These influence their relationship with the retailers. 3PL providers should also try to enhance the service quality and satisfaction level in the fields of transportation, warehousing and reverse logistics activities. Most importantly, 3PL providers should provide logistics services and solutions that are in the same level with the retailers’ objectives. Furthermore, 3PL providers can also improve their efficiency and become more competitive by having deeper co-operation with other logistics providers.

The outsourcing of the business logistics activities have became a trend. The goals of my research want to understand that: (1) The outsourcing extent of the logistics activities. (2) The logistics outsourcing considered factors. (3) How the firm size affect the (1) and (2). (4) How the logistics network complexity affect the (1) and (2). The research¡¯s samples are the PC and peripheral equipment companies in Taiwan. The capital, the revenue, and the number of the employee measure the size of a firm. The logistics network complexity is measured by the number of the customers, the number of the suppliers, the number of the countries that customers in, and the number of the countries that the suppliers in. The result shows that the companies think the cost saving factors is most important when they decide to outsource the activity. The great extent of the traffic transportation, salvage and scrap disposal and return goods handling are outsourced. The companies whose sizes are small put great emphasis on the ¡°logistics information systems¡± factors. The big companies have a tendency to outsource the physical moved activities like traffic transportation, salvage and scrap disposal. The small companies are apt to outsource the process handling activities. In the logistics network complexity, the suppliers make greater difference in the outsourcing logistics activities than the customers. The numbers of the countries affect the logistics outsourcing considered factors.

Baigiamojo darbo tikslas - išanalizuoti UAB „Vylaista“ logistinę veiklą ir pasiūlyti logistinės veiklos tobulinimo kryptis. / Goal of final Thesis - To analize logistic activities of JSC „Vylaista“ and to offer improvement directions of logistics process.

Nas últimas décadas a atividade logística vem recebendo status estratégico como sendo uma variável importante para a obtenção de vantagem competitiva por parte das empresas. Dessa forma, as organizações vêm investindo significativamente no desenvolvimento de sistemas logísticos ágeis e na coordenação eficiente das cadeias de abastecimento nas quais estão inseridas. No entanto, para não perderem competitividade e realmente agregar valor ao seu negócio, muitas dessas empresas estão se focando cada vez mais em seu core business e, consequentemente, transferindo para terceiros algumas ou todas as suas atividades logísticas como forma de reduzir custos e aumentar a eficiência de sua operação. Assim, este trabalho trata do problema de tomada de decisão de terceirização das atividades logísticas e de como viabilizar a seleção de um provedor de serviços logísticos (PSLs). Para isto, foi elaborada e proposta uma sistemática de apoio à análise e seleção de um PSL que agrega conceitos gerais de gestão de projetos e de análise multicriterial para embasar a escolha pelo PSL mais adequado. Nesse particular, foi utilizado o método AHP – Analytic Hierarchy Process - que permite tratar aspectos qualitativos e quantitativos, tendo sido aplicado a problemas que envolvem a tomada de decisão em segmentos distintos. Como forma de validação da sistemática proposta, ela foi aplicada parcialmente em uma empresa fabricante de motores diesel com forte viés na logística de abastecimento e que estava em processo de terceirização de parte de suas atividades logísticas. Como principais resultados, encontrou-se que a sistemática foi aderente ao ambiente empresarial encontrado, auxiliando a análise e compreensão das oportunidades e riscos relativos à terceirização das atividades logísticas e dos atributos importantes a serem considerados no processo de seleção e escolha do PSL que mais esteja adequado à realidade da empresa contratante; e mostrando adicionalmente que o preço não é o fator mais importante no momento da decisão. / In recent decades the logistics activity has received strategic status as an important factor for gaining competitive advantages for businesses. Thus companies have been investing significantly in the development of agile logistics systems and efficient coordination of the supply chains, in which they operate. However, to avoid losing competitiveness and really add value to their business, many of these companies are increasingly focusing on their core business and thus transferring to others some or all of their logistics activities as a way to reduce costs and increase efficiency of their operation. This work addresses the problem of decision-making on outsourcing of logistics activities and how to facilitate the selection of a Third-Party Logistics (3PL). For this, it was developed and proposed a system to support the analysis and selection of a 3PL that combines general concepts of project management and multicriteria analysis to base the choice of the 3PL that better fits the current needs. In particular, we used the AHP - Analytic Hierarchy Process - which could handle qualitative and quantitative aspects, since it has been applied to many decision-making problems in different segments. As a way of validating the proposed methodology, it was partially applied to a manufacturer of diesel engines with a strong bias in its supply chain logistics, which was in process of outsourcing part of their logistics activities. As the most important results, it was found that this methodology adhered to the business environment, supporting the analysis and understanding of the opportunities and risks for the outsourcing of logistics activities, as well as important attributes to be considered in the selection process and choice of a 3PL that is more appropriate to the reality of the contracting company. In addition, it showed that the price is not the most important factor for this decision.

Nas últimas décadas a atividade logística vem recebendo status estratégico como sendo uma variável importante para a obtenção de vantagem competitiva por parte das empresas. Dessa forma, as organizações vêm investindo significativamente no desenvolvimento de sistemas logísticos ágeis e na coordenação eficiente das cadeias de abastecimento nas quais estão inseridas. No entanto, para não perderem competitividade e realmente agregar valor ao seu negócio, muitas dessas empresas estão se focando cada vez mais em seu core business e, consequentemente, transferindo para terceiros algumas ou todas as suas atividades logísticas como forma de reduzir custos e aumentar a eficiência de sua operação. Assim, este trabalho trata do problema de tomada de decisão de terceirização das atividades logísticas e de como viabilizar a seleção de um provedor de serviços logísticos (PSLs). Para isto, foi elaborada e proposta uma sistemática de apoio à análise e seleção de um PSL que agrega conceitos gerais de gestão de projetos e de análise multicriterial para embasar a escolha pelo PSL mais adequado. Nesse particular, foi utilizado o método AHP – Analytic Hierarchy Process - que permite tratar aspectos qualitativos e quantitativos, tendo sido aplicado a problemas que envolvem a tomada de decisão em segmentos distintos. Como forma de validação da sistemática proposta, ela foi aplicada parcialmente em uma empresa fabricante de motores diesel com forte viés na logística de abastecimento e que estava em processo de terceirização de parte de suas atividades logísticas. Como principais resultados, encontrou-se que a sistemática foi aderente ao ambiente empresarial encontrado, auxiliando a análise e compreensão das oportunidades e riscos relativos à terceirização das atividades logísticas e dos atributos importantes a serem considerados no processo de seleção e escolha do PSL que mais esteja adequado à realidade da empresa contratante; e mostrando adicionalmente que o preço não é o fator mais importante no momento da decisão. / In recent decades the logistics activity has received strategic status as an important factor for gaining competitive advantages for businesses. Thus companies have been investing significantly in the development of agile logistics systems and efficient coordination of the supply chains, in which they operate. However, to avoid losing competitiveness and really add value to their business, many of these companies are increasingly focusing on their core business and thus transferring to others some or all of their logistics activities as a way to reduce costs and increase efficiency of their operation. This work addresses the problem of decision-making on outsourcing of logistics activities and how to facilitate the selection of a Third-Party Logistics (3PL). For this, it was developed and proposed a system to support the analysis and selection of a 3PL that combines general concepts of project management and multicriteria analysis to base the choice of the 3PL that better fits the current needs. In particular, we used the AHP - Analytic Hierarchy Process - which could handle qualitative and quantitative aspects, since it has been applied to many decision-making problems in different segments. As a way of validating the proposed methodology, it was partially applied to a manufacturer of diesel engines with a strong bias in its supply chain logistics, which was in process of outsourcing part of their logistics activities. As the most important results, it was found that this methodology adhered to the business environment, supporting the analysis and understanding of the opportunities and risks for the outsourcing of logistics activities, as well as important attributes to be considered in the selection process and choice of a 3PL that is more appropriate to the reality of the contracting company. In addition, it showed that the price is not the most important factor for this decision.

Nas últimas décadas a atividade logística vem recebendo status estratégico como sendo uma variável importante para a obtenção de vantagem competitiva por parte das empresas. Dessa forma, as organizações vêm investindo significativamente no desenvolvimento de sistemas logísticos ágeis e na coordenação eficiente das cadeias de abastecimento nas quais estão inseridas. No entanto, para não perderem competitividade e realmente agregar valor ao seu negócio, muitas dessas empresas estão se focando cada vez mais em seu core business e, consequentemente, transferindo para terceiros algumas ou todas as suas atividades logísticas como forma de reduzir custos e aumentar a eficiência de sua operação. Assim, este trabalho trata do problema de tomada de decisão de terceirização das atividades logísticas e de como viabilizar a seleção de um provedor de serviços logísticos (PSLs). Para isto, foi elaborada e proposta uma sistemática de apoio à análise e seleção de um PSL que agrega conceitos gerais de gestão de projetos e de análise multicriterial para embasar a escolha pelo PSL mais adequado. Nesse particular, foi utilizado o método AHP – Analytic Hierarchy Process - que permite tratar aspectos qualitativos e quantitativos, tendo sido aplicado a problemas que envolvem a tomada de decisão em segmentos distintos. Como forma de validação da sistemática proposta, ela foi aplicada parcialmente em uma empresa fabricante de motores diesel com forte viés na logística de abastecimento e que estava em processo de terceirização de parte de suas atividades logísticas. Como principais resultados, encontrou-se que a sistemática foi aderente ao ambiente empresarial encontrado, auxiliando a análise e compreensão das oportunidades e riscos relativos à terceirização das atividades logísticas e dos atributos importantes a serem considerados no processo de seleção e escolha do PSL que mais esteja adequado à realidade da empresa contratante; e mostrando adicionalmente que o preço não é o fator mais importante no momento da decisão. / In recent decades the logistics activity has received strategic status as an important factor for gaining competitive advantages for businesses. Thus companies have been investing significantly in the development of agile logistics systems and efficient coordination of the supply chains, in which they operate. However, to avoid losing competitiveness and really add value to their business, many of these companies are increasingly focusing on their core business and thus transferring to others some or all of their logistics activities as a way to reduce costs and increase efficiency of their operation. This work addresses the problem of decision-making on outsourcing of logistics activities and how to facilitate the selection of a Third-Party Logistics (3PL). For this, it was developed and proposed a system to support the analysis and selection of a 3PL that combines general concepts of project management and multicriteria analysis to base the choice of the 3PL that better fits the current needs. In particular, we used the AHP - Analytic Hierarchy Process - which could handle qualitative and quantitative aspects, since it has been applied to many decision-making problems in different segments. As a way of validating the proposed methodology, it was partially applied to a manufacturer of diesel engines with a strong bias in its supply chain logistics, which was in process of outsourcing part of their logistics activities. As the most important results, it was found that this methodology adhered to the business environment, supporting the analysis and understanding of the opportunities and risks for the outsourcing of logistics activities, as well as important attributes to be considered in the selection process and choice of a 3PL that is more appropriate to the reality of the contracting company. In addition, it showed that the price is not the most important factor for this decision.

Yes / Food loss is one of the significant threats to sustainable development. Although various studies investigating food loss drivers disclosed that logistics is a significant reason for food loss, logistics-related food loss drivers have not been thoroughly studied. Thus, this paper aims to identify, classify and rank the logistics-related food loss drivers, having more influence on the amount of food loss in the fruit and vegetable supply chain, with the help of a mixed-method approach. First, a literature review was conducted to identify potential logistics-related food loss drivers. A total of 49 articles were analyzed. Second, 21 semi-structured interviews were conducted with industry experts to finalize the drivers. Third, the analytical hierarchy process was employed to rank the drivers having more influence on the amount of food loss. Five main drivers and nineteen sub-drivers were identified at the end of the literature review and interview process. Categorization of main drivers is based on the logistics activities. According to results, warehousing-related drivers and transportation-related drivers are the two most influential drivers on the amount of food loss, while lack of coordination and improper packaging material are the two most influential sub-drivers. Following the ranking of drivers and sub-drivers, mitigation strategies to diminish food loss are also discussed. The findings of this study are intended to guide fruit and vegetable supply chain actors in tackling food loss.

M. Tech. (Department of Logistics Management, Faculty of Management Sciences), Vaal University of Technology. / The primary objective of this study was to investigate the influence of reverse logistics practices on environmental sustainability and business performance in manufacturing firms in the Vaal Triangle Region. The study employed a quantitative research method that used a survey questionnaire to gather data from supply chain professionals operating in the manufacturing small and medium-sized enterprise (SME) sector. The survey was self-administered to 350 randomly selected respondents who were mainly supply chain professionals drawn from various manufacturing firms in the Vaal Triangle region. Despite the large number of respondents, only 201 questionnaires were usable, which represented a response rate of 57 per cent. Data obtained were analysed using SPSS 25.0 in which descriptive statistics were analysed to assess the demographic characteristics of the respondents. An analysis of mean scores was performed to establish the perceptions of supply chain professionals toward the levels of the constructs in manufacturing firms. Besides, the study made use of correlation and regression analyses to examine the causal relationships between reverse logistics practices on environmental sustainability and business performance. The results of the study show that the identified reserve logistics practices (repairs, remanufacturing, recycle, recondition and disposal) were insignificantly correlated to environmental sustainability. However, environmental sustainability was significantly correlated to the two sub-dimensions of business performance, namely, sales and profit. Likewise, in the regression analysis, all reverse logistics components were statistically insignificant, whereas environmental sustainability significantly influenced both profits and sales. The study thus offered a contrasting perspective from the general findings that have found reverse logistics to be a significant contributor to sustainability initiatives. However, the study confirms the importance of environmental sustainability as a predictor of business performance in manufacturing firms.